


Submerged

by winehabit



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Car Accidents, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gun Violence, How Do I Tag, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-16 06:30:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5817670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winehabit/pseuds/winehabit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your normal drive to a briefing goes south and feelings come to light when your life is on the line. (i'm ass at summaries but enjoy!!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

If there was one consistent truth that came with your line of work: nothing good ever comes as a result of a 4 AM call to a briefing.

The team was currently stationed in the quiet, residential branch of Hazelwood Oregon, roughly 15 minutes outside of Portland. The small town had recently fallen prey to one of the most twisted serial killers the county had ever seen. Some sick bastard was filleting teenage girls in the middle of the woods, stringing them up like trophies for all to see with their insides on the outside. The latest victim was 17-year-old Annemarie Davies, you and Reid were sent to tell her parents when the body was recovered yesterday. Seeing the grief and rage wash over the family as you told them that they’d lost their only child was something that you swore you’d never forget, her mother crumbling in on herself while her father put a fist sized dent in the wall of the station. Hopefully, today would be the day that the team got to give the families the closure that came with putting the bastard away for life. 

It had only been two hours since Hotch had sent you back to the inn to get some rest. Twenty-eight hours analyzing case files on two hours of sleep rarely did the body well but that’s what you signed on for when you took the job. As you made your way out to the SUV, your in-ear monitor chimed with an incoming call. The moment you answered you were met with the smooth, soothing voice of your favorite genius.

“Y/N, are you awake? Are you on the road yet?” Spencer’s voice chimed as you climbed in and set your bag on the passenger seat and flipped the radio on.

“Yes, mom.” You teased in a mock droning, smiling as you heard his laugh on the other end. He knew how much you coveted your time to sleep and often acted as your alarm clock when you shared a hotel room on a case. “I should be there in-“ You inhaled sharply as you felt the cool metal of the barrel of a gun press to the back of your neck. The sound of Spencer’s panicked whisper in your ear told you that he’d instantly caught on that something wasn’t right. Typical.

“ _Drive._ ” A deep voice hissed from the seat behind you, recognition dawning as you pulled out of the lot. Stealing a glance at the rear view mirror confirmed your hunch. 

“Who is it? Y/N, who’s there with you?” The urgency in Spencer’s tone was hushed, and you picked up the whispers of the team, alerting you to the fact that you were on speakerphone.

“M-Mr. Davies, we can help you through this-“ The butt of the gun connected with the side of your head, the force of the blow causing your eyes to momentarily go out of focus. 

“Shut up!” He screamed. “You gonna help me like you helped my daughter!?” His voice broke on the last word and for a moment your fear turned to sympathy for the man. “Like you helped my Annemarie?” You reached up to touch the place where the gun had cut your temple, using this as an opportunity to tap a short SOS signal on the surface of your monitor, Morse code that you knew Spencer would understand. 

“Got it. Y/N, Garcia just sent us your location. He’s leading you towards the woods.” Your heart dropped as you made the connection that he was taking you to where his daughter was murdered and wasn’t bothering to hide his identity. He wanted revenge. 

“No, you let her die.” He mumbled under his breath, “You let her suffer! N-now it’s your turn to suffer.” You would have thought, considering his volume, that he was talking to himself had it not been for his tightening grip on the gun now at your temple. The sharp revving of an engine could be heard on Spencer’s end. 

“We’re gonna block off the road about three miles up and get you out of there. You’re going to be fine and I promise you can nap on my shoulder the whole plane ride back. You’re going to be okay.” You almost cracked a smile, momentarily forgetting the looming threat of death in the back seat. There was nothing you wanted more in the world than to be curled up with Reid. You could almost feel the cotton of his sweater under your cheek and the smell of old books, vanilla and something that was just purely _him._

“Mr. Davies you can still walk away from this.” You slowed the car significantly, giving yourself time to try to get through to him. _Talk him down now, possibly save a few injuries later_. “You’re grieving, you want someone to suffer like you’re suffering… like she suffered.” You were skating on thin ice and the clock was rapidly running out. “K-killing me isn’t going to bring her back or take away the pain you’re feeling right now.”

“You don’t understand shit about how I feel!” His rage made you jump. ”You and that fucking know-it-all were completely unfeeling. My daughter is brutalized and that asshole was cold as ice while you just sat there! Don’t act like you understand how I’m _feeling_.”

“It wasn’t his intention to come off that way, I promise you. He can’t help it that’s just how he is.” The sound of the gun cocking had a cold sweat breaking across your forehead. “P-please, just l-leave him out of this.” 

“Do I sense an Achilles Heel, Agent Y/L/N?” The gruff voice spit a moment before the SUV came around the final bend. Instantly the wall of police lights came into view at the end of a narrow steel bridge. “I see. Let’s go.” You felt the gun press into your neck and you instinctively accelerated in an attempt to close the distance between the truck and your salvation. Your eyes settled on Spencer on the front line, the start of the morning’s sunrise illuminating the deep worry lines in the creases of his features. 

“I love him, Mr. Davies.” The words left your lips without any other thought. You knew full well Reid could hear every breath but you couldn’t care less. You had to get the words out just in case you didn’t get another chance. “God, do I love him.” For the first time in this entire ordeal, your eyes brimmed with tears.

“Then a shame he’s going to have to witness this.” The crack of a gunshot echoed a fraction of a second before a searing pain registered in your right thigh. The shriek that made its way out of your throat was almost inhuman as the gas pedal was floored and Davies used the distraction of your pain to take the wheel. It was almost like a nightmare you couldn’t wake up from as you felt the car jerk to the side and the metal guardrail of the bridge growing closer. Your head hit the windshield, successfully creating spider web cracks as the water got closer. The car hit the water a tenth of a second before your head connected with the steering wheel and your vision faded.

Even when the car hit the water,

even when the water came rushing in,

even when the darkness closed in on your vision,

one thought in your head was replaying over and over: _This is going to kill Reid._

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The POV switches during this chapter wherever theres a horizontal line

    Clawing through the darkness clouding your mind, you came immediately aware of the rush of water pouring through what used to be the windshield. The icy cold water was up to your navel. The force of the water was keeping you braced against the seat while also managing to effectively flare up the sickening pain of the gunshot wound to your thigh. Instantly the panic started to rise in your throat.This was not good.

“Mr.Davies!?” You attempted to call over the surge, “Mr. Davies are you alright?” You glanced to the passenger seat and gasped, breathing in a spray of water and choking in the process.

    The man who was the reason behind this entire predicament was laying in the seat beside you. From the looks of the shards of glass that were splintered in his face and neck, his head had gone through the windshield. He had bled out in seconds.

 _Great,_ you thought, _He gets to go quickly while I’m subjected to death by water, panic, and fear_. The water had risen to your clavicle in the short time it took you to find him and you knew your breaths were numbered. You’d be overtaken in seconds.Trying in vain to pry your seat belt free, you felt the primal fear and adrenaline surging through your veins. “Please.” You weren’t even sure who you were pleading with at this point but you didn’t have time to dwell on it. You tipped your head back and sucked in a breath as you found yourself submerged.

* * *

 

 _"I love him, Mr. Davies.”_ Hearing her terrified, honest confession had my mouth falling open and a full spectrum of emotions washing over me. Four years of working together and harboring the same feelings for one another, only for the reveal to come when her life was hanging in the mix. “ _God, do I love him._ ” We needed to move, now.

 _“Then a shame he’s going to have to witness…”_ The all-too-familiar sound of gunfire rang out and her agonized scream in my monitor had my blood running cold.

“NO!” I had barely even realized I’d cried out hearing her in pain. All at once agents were moving just as the engine roared and the car veered sharply into the rail and in a moment went over the edge. Before I knew what was happening I was running. Morgan was standing at the edge by the time the splash was heard, his hand instinctively coming to hold me back from the precipice. His head snapped back to me when he heard my gun and badge hit the pavement.

“Reid, no-”

“I really wish I could stand and argue with you about this but I really don’t have time.” My wallet joined the pile I watched as he changed his approach from determined to pleading.

“Hotch and the rest of the department are on it, they’re going to handle it.” I felt like an unsub in a hostage situation, unpredictable and emotionally compromised. The front of the car was almost 3/4 of the way under and the panic in my throat was mounting by the second.

“Morgan, it’s forty feet to the water. That SUV weighs 5,775 pounds. _I don’t have time for this!_ ” I didn’t mean to bark it at him but I silently vowed to apologize later, when Y/N was warm and dry and safe beside me.

“Look, man, I heard what she said before. But you’re no good to her dead.” His rage matched mine and I opened my mouth to retort when there was a crackle in the in-ear monitor and a helpless voice on the other end.

“ _Please_.” One hushed frantic word and then the sound crackled out once more. The thud of Morgan’s gun falling next to mine came a second later and we were both plummeting towards the water.

    The first thing that immediately dawned on me when we hit the water was the bone-chilling cold, the next being the red hue surrounding the wreckage that instantly spiked my heart rate. Making short work of getting to the crumpled metal, my eyes settled on her. Y/N was thrashing and flailing in her seat, weakly trying to pry her seatbelt free. She looked up hearing us hit the water and her eyes widened. It was no use trying to open the door, not until the pressure equalized at least and I had known by that point we’d be too late. I felt the burn in my lungs increasing by the second, dragging me towards the surface for a moment before I was back under. Morgan had gone ahead and knocked out the remainder of the windshield on her side and after slipping his knife from its sheath, handed it to me before going up to get air. I looked to her eyes just in time to see them squeeze shut in a grimace.

    Y/N’s pained expression came a second before her mouth opened and a moment later she coughed out a cloud of bubbles. _Fuck_. Ignoring the stabbing pain in my own lungs, I sawed away at the seat belt as she weakly thrashed before going terrifyingly still. Finally, the straps came away just as Morgan reached forward to help me pull her through the windshield and back to the surface. Right as I felt the dark edges surrounding my vision beginning to close in, my lungs filled with crisp cool air.

“Come on Y/N, stay with me,” I grunted, ignoring the exhaustion radiating through my body and quickly closing the distance to the riverbank. Finally able to take an honest look at her, what I saw had me biting back a sob. “M-Morgan tie your belt around her upper thigh,” I ordered without even bothering to look away from her face.

    Her lips were a pale blue, her skin was stark white from the cold water, making the bruising at the side of her head and the blood running from her temple and forehead stand out in comparison. A short check for her pulse had my stomach dropping impossibly further as I began the rhythmic compressions.

“Don’t you dare leave me, you hear me? Come on. Come on!” My words were as frantic as my compressions. I became acutely aware of the crowd of law enforcement looking in on the scene mere feet away. Leaning down to force air into her lungs, I wished our lips were meeting for millions of other reasons than the situation she was in.

    I was halfway through the second round of compressions before there was a cough. Morgan quickly rolled her onto her side and I couldn’t help the unrestrained sigh of relief that passed my lips as she choked up the water in her lungs. Laying on her back when she was finished, the only indicator that she was conscious was the constant chatter of her teeth.

* * *

 

_Did I die? Was that it?_

    The thought was sluggish in your hazy brain. Everything seemed far away. Present, but just out of reach. You were vaguely aware of a pressure on your chest, fading and appearing every few moments. Then there was the dull hum that registered as a voice, although it was still too murky to understand.

_Maybe this is heaven._

    The next thought was clearer and you felt warmth against your lips and air forcing its way down your throat as well as a bitter cold spreading throughout your body. The ache in your head didn’t go unnoticed either.

_Far too uncomfortable to be heaven._

    The pressure on your chest was getting more intense and the realization of what was happening finally hit its mark.

_Oh my god I’m not dead . . . I’m dying._

On your first attempt to pull in air, your lungs protested and you erupted into hacking coughs. You felt strong arms shift you as your body worked to expel the water that had overtaken your airways. Time seemed to slip away from you as your battered lungs heaved until they were satisfied. Feeling the ground under your back once more, the air that filled your lungs came out as a hiss due to the chill that seemed to go down to your bones. The voice that had remained constant the entire time finally became clear as a feather light hand came to rest on your cheek.

“It’s alright Y/N, you’re okay now. Come on Y/N, open your eyes. Just show me your eyes, okay? That’s all I want.” The voice that was always rambling off precise facts was an octave higher with worry as his thumb stroked over your cheekbone. Your eyes felt gritty as you opened them a crack and blinked until the blurry images took shape.

    This has to be heaven. Spencer’s face was illuminated by the subtle pinks, purples, and blues of the early morning sunrise. The angelic halo of light surrounding him also made you aware that his face was just centimeters above your own. His eyes flicked between yours and you’d have to be blind to miss the fact that he was blinking away the moisture that had gathered in his eyes.

“Sp-. .Spencer . . . “ The rasp in your voice caused by the scratchiness of your throat made forming words excruciating. The grin on his face was clouded with worry and panic. You saw how his hair was plastered to his face and you recalled flashes of memories, watching helplessly as he struggled to get you free. Instantly guilt washed over you and you squeezed your eyes shut and shook your head in an attempt to try to shake the memory. A hand you knew belonged to Spencer came up to gently stop you. Another pair of hands were combing you over for injuries by the flare of pain that surfaced every few seconds. The hushed rumble of Morgan’s voice came a moment later as you focused all of your energy on getting words out. “Sp. . .” Your throat felt like fire. “I-I’m sor-“

“Shh shh shh, don’t try to talk.” He cooed and you nodded gratefully. “You’re okay.”

“Reid,” Hotch’s voice was somewhere above you, causing Spencer to look up from you for the first time. “The ambulances are ready for her. We really should hurry.” Reid looked back down at you a moment before giving Morgan a short nod. A sharp flare of pain in your leg made you cry out as you were lifted. _Oh right. I got shot. That happened._ Fisting your hands in the wet material of Morgan’s shirt, you squeezed your eyes shut to try to get your mind off the burning pain.

“I know sweetheart. Hang in there, we’re gonna take care of you.” You felt him press a quick kiss to the top of your head. You knew Spencer was close behind as Derek lowered you to the stretcher. Once the pain of being moved was gone, you found yourself fighting to keep your eyes open.

“Spen . . .“ You weakly reached out your hand, trying to ignore the fact that you felt like you were weighed down with lead. Hotch nodded to him and Spencer jogged over, wrapped in a blanket that matched the one being draped over you. His hand stayed clasped in yours as you were lifted into the back of the ambulance. The only time he took his eyes off you was to ramble off a list to the medics working over you.

“She has a through-and-through right thigh, a moderate concussion, shards of glass in her scalp and legs, moderate bruising and possible acute hypothermia.” His voice was so smooth and even he might as well have been reading you poetry as you found yourself unable to keep your eyes open any longer. Just as you were about to give into the exhaustion you felt his hand that wasn’t holding yours come up to rest on the side of your face. He gently called your name and you had just enough energy to hum a response.

    Of all the things you had expected, the soft pressure of his lips on yours was not one of them.

Even with the overwhelming fatigue right on your heels, your eyes instantly opened. When he pulled back moments later you managed a smile, watching as he gauged your reaction before his sheepish grin had you both blushing like teenagers.

“I, just uh . . . just really wanted to do that while you were awake.”


	3. Chapter 3

     Five days in the hospital was nothing short of hell on earth. The only redeeming quality was having Spencer by your bedside the entire time. No matter how much you tried to assure him you were fine and he could go home for the night he stayed rooted to the armchair beside you. He was so planted in fact, that when the nurses came in to take the few shards of glass that had ended up in his forearm out, he insisted that they do it in your room. Finally the time came to sign yourself out and catch the next wheelchair to freedom. Even though you were going to be on crutches for the next two and a half months, you were chomping at the bit to get back to the chaos of the BAU office.

“Yes sir, got it. I’ll be sure to get the message across.” Spencer ended a phone call just as a nurse finished helping you into the car. He had a light smile on his face as he climbed in and pulled away. “That was Hotch. He said he doesn’t want to see you in the office for two weeks. Minimum.”

“Are you kidding me? I start physical therapy in a few days and I’ve already lost a week! I’m just gonna call him and see if i can-“ His hand came up to stop your hands from dialing the number. You looked over at him see his face in a mock-grimace.

“He said for me to tell you that if you call and try to argue it, he’ll tack on a week of desk work.” He gave a nervous chuckle. If he wasn’t so handsome you would have been pissed. “Sorry Y/N.” He took the opportunity of being stopped at a light to lean over and press a kiss to the side of your head.

“Sure you are. Traitor.” You joked, trying to hide your goofy grin and the dark blush that had risen in your cheeks. You didn’t think you’d ever get used to knowing that the man you’d had feelings for for years actually felt the same way all along.

“Hey he gave me a week to watch you so we’re in the same boat here.” His smile was warm and the laugh that followed was like music your ears. “Emily packed a bag of my stuff and dropped it at your place. Didn’t miss an opportunity to ask when the wedding was.”

“Does the whole team know?” Weaving your fingers through his, he traced small circles into the back of your hand.

“They all said they knew a while ago. We’re profilers, Y/N.” He laughed. “They knew.”

“Good.” Pressing a kiss to the back of his hand, you continued the ride home in a comfortable silence.

* * *

 

    “Alright so the doctor said I should wake you up every few hours and ask you math questions to check your alertness.” I pulled the sheets up to her chin and she nodded sleepily.

“Just keep in mind that i don’t have a 187 IQ so just. . . dumb it down for me, okay?” She reminded me of a tired child. Her voice was so small. The fact that I almost lost her still never failed to made my stomach drop.

“Sure sweetheart. Get some sleep. I’ll see you in a few hours.” I pressed my lips to hers and she closed her eyes, still smiling.

“Mm, love you Spencer.” I’d never get used to hearing that. “I love you too Y/N, so much.” A second later she was snoring softly. Crawling in beside her I couldn’t believe what we’d seen in the last week. Hotch was afraid this would push her out of the field but I knew better. Y/N was the type to use an experience like this to better herself and become a better agent.

    Somewhere over the course of my thinking I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I heard was her voice. It grew louder as she kept talking until she was shouting, her eyes squeezed shut.

“No, nononono. Spe-Spencer get me out. Spencer g-get me out!” She had thrown the covers off and she was thrashing in the pitch black room. Her breathing was ragged as I tried my hardest to hold her down. Her breathing was coming in loud gasps, as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. She was back in the car. “P-please no. No get me out! Spencer please get me out!”

“Y/N wake up! You’re alright it’s okay!” She shot up so fast I was almost thrown off the bed. Recovering quickly, I came up to be next to her just as she threw herself into my arms, letting out a small hiss of pain as the movement must have agitated her leg. “You’re okay, you’re okay. You’re home and safe. I’m here.” I could feel myself rambling but I knew that the constant sound of my voice helped to calm her. On the jet home after a particularly bad case, she would ask me to tell her statistics and theories until she dozed off to sleep with her head on my shoulder.

“I was in the w-water.” Her knuckles were white and shaking with the force of her grip on my shirt. “I couldn’t get out and you we-weren’t there. I was d-dying.” Finally the levee broke and sobs tore from her chest. She was shaking so intensely it was a struggle to keep my arms securely around her.

“But you’re okay. You’re not there anymore. Morgan and I got you out.” I combed my fingers through her hair every few seconds and waited, mumbling words of comfort until suddenly it was like a switch had been flipped. Her fingers found their way to my hair and she pulled me to crash her lips against mine. I tasted the salt of her tears on her lips and I realized she was mumbling something in between kisses.

* * *

 

“Thank you thank you so much I love you . . .” The words were falling from your lips almost without your knowledge as your mouth moved against his. Your heart was still practically hitting against your ribs as you clung to him for dear life. Your shaky movements were awakening the various aches on your body but all you cared about was getting as close to the warmth of Spencer’s chest as possible. “Thank you s-“ The increased pressure of his lips cut off the rest of your rambling.

“Shh shh shh.” He rested his cool forehead against your heated one. “Y/N, you don’t have to thank me for any of that. I know for a fact you would have done the same if it were me in that situation. These nightmares are your body’s reaction to what happened. They’re going to stick around for a little while but I can promise you it’ll get easier and soon you won’t get them at all. The team and I will be with you every step of the way.” He pressed a light kiss to your forehead and you nodded, finally feeling your muscles begin to relax. “Especially me though.” Another kiss, this time to the tip of your nose. “You might actually be tired of me by the end of this mandatory time off work.” The next kiss was feather light against your lips.

“I’ve made it four years seeing you every single day. Don’t think you’re getting rid of me that easy, Spencer.” The smile that lit up his face was like a kid on christmas.

“Good because I plan on sticking around for a while.” You both wasted no time settled back into bed, only now you were comfortably wrapped in the warmth of his arms. Your last thought before sleep came was that the thought of facing the future with Spencer by your side didn’t sound too bad at all.


End file.
